Closure cap with cam and stop



, Jan. 12, 1960 J. R. EMERSON 2,920,788

CLOSURE CAP WITH CAM AND STOP Filed May 7, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig./

John R. Emerson INVENTOR.

4 BY MMWM Jan. 12, 1960 J. R. EMERSON CLOSURE CAP WITH CAM AND STOP 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 7, 1957 John R. Emerson IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent CLOSURE CAP WITH CAM AND STOP John R. Emerson, Flint, Mich., assignor to Fuller 8:

Emerson Manufacturing C0., Flint, Mich., a corporation of Michigan I Application May 7,1957, Serial No. 657,555

; 1 Claim. (Cl. 220-40 This invention relates to closure caps and more particularly to caps that are of a unique construction for attachment to a neck, filler tube or like part of a container.

The main purpose of the invention is to provide a closure cap which enables an economy in the manufacture of the conventional filler tube or neck having a cam which must be welded, soldered or otherwise joined to the filler tube of the container that may be a gasoline tank or any other type. This results in a tremendous saving in the cost of the tube, while the cost of the cap is not appreciably increased.

Although the principal application of the caps of the invention is automotive, it is understood that the principles of the invention are applicable to the filler tubes or necks of other receptacles. As far as the automotive industry is concerned, it is the present practice to form cams on the filler tubes of gasoline tanks by welding, soldering (or both) a separate piece on the outer end of the filler tube. By constructing the cam on the cap the soldering, welding and fabrication of the separate piece is eliminated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a closure cap that has a unique, exceedingly inexpensive vent system which functions as an anti-splash device but yet vents the tank when an excess pressure is built up within the tank or when a'vacuurn is drawn on the contents of the tank. Both of these undesirable conditions are automatically alleviated by the application of two apertures in the gasket and diaphragm respectively, the apertures being in non-alignment and thereby functioning automatically to prevent loss of liquid through splashing.

The locking organization of the cap may be used with the novel vent system or with a different vent system or in a cap which does not use a vent. Secondly, the vent system involving the gasket and diaphragm of the cap may be used with any type of shell thereby providing for a variety of sub-combinations of the features of the invention.

Other objects and important features will become apparent in following the description of the illustrated forms of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a filler tube for a container, there being a cap attached thereon;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the tube and cap of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1 and showing the cap fastened to the tube;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken at right angles to Figure 3 and taken approximately on the line 44 of Figure 3 Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1 showing the underside of the cap as it would appear when attached to the tube;

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the parts from which the cap is constructed and the tube on which the cap is applied;

2,920,788 Patented Jan. 12, 1960 Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Figure 3 and showing a part of the cam which functions as a ramp when attaching and separating the cap from the tube, this figure also showing the stop that is formed in the ramp to aid in preventing the cap from accidentally working loose from the tube;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a gasket that has no vent aperture, this view schematically representing the fact that the shell construction of the cap is applicable with caps which do not have a vent system;

Figure 9 is a bottom plan view of an embodiment of the invention which differs slightly from the embodiment of Figure l but which is of equal importance, the distinguishing features being in the construction of the stops at the ends of the ramps; and

Figure 10 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 1010 of Figure 9 and showing the construction of the distinguishing stop in Figure 9.

In the accompanying drawings there is a filler tube 20 which is .operatively connected with a gasoline tank or a receptacle which is adapted to contain any other substance. The neck or tube 20 has a flat upper edge 22 and two projections 24 and 26 on opposite sides thereof. Cap 30 illustrates one form of the invention and consists of a shell 32 having a top wall 34 and a skirt 36 depending peripherally therefrom. Flexible, elastic diaphragm 40 is disposed in shell 32 and is formed (Figure 6) so that it is capable of compressing when the cap is applied to the tube 20 and returning to the unstressed condition when the cap is removed. Diaphragm 40 has a depressed peripheral rib 42 against which the flat gasket 44 is adapted to seat, together with a central raised annular rib 46 which is adapted to seat on the inner surface of the wall 34 of shell 32. It is preferred that shell 32 have a small dome 48 in order to center the diaphragm 40 by fitting within the central aperture 50 thereof when the diaphragm is assembled in shell 32.

Gasket 44 has a vent aperture 56 in the center thereof which is in alignment with the dome 48. Diaphragm 40 has aperture 58 which is laterally spaced from aperture 56 thereby providing an inlet and outlet for the chamber 60 enclosed by diaphragm 40, gasket 44 and a part of the dome 48, when the cap 30 is on tube 20. This arrangement of apertures in the diaphragm and gasket provides for the ventilation of the tank to which tube 20 is attached and also prevents liquid contents of the tank from splashing therefrom.

Any liquid which would pass through aperture 56 would not pass completely through chamber 60 and the small aperture 58. The central part of gasket 44 is very close to the bottom surface of dome 48 when cap 30 is on tube 20 so that the simplified arrangement of the diaphragm, gasket and the apertures therein function as an anti-splash device but enable a sufficient quantity of air to pass substantially freely therethrough to satisfy any demands for relieving either a vacuum or pressure which may be built up in tube 20.

The gasket 40 is flexible and located very close to the inner surface of dome 48. Under surge conditions or under constant liquid pressure, should the cap be lower than the fuel level, the gasket 40 is flexed by the pressure of the liquid to a position flush against dome 48. The action is that of a check valve closing off aperture 52 in response to liquid pressures caused by surging or by pressures gradually building up in the tank. Accordingly, there are two modes of operation which the cap takes in its normal use. One is as an anti-splash device and the other under liquid surge or pressure builtup, is

as a check valve.

In instances where a vent system is undesired, gasket 64 is substituted for gasket 44. Gasket 64 has no aperture in it. With the imperforate gasket 64 no liquid can pass and therefore it is unimportant whether aperture 58 is in diaphragm 40 or whether the aperture 58 is omitted. p I

Arciiate lockingflangesfio and 72 depend from spaced places on the lower edge of shell skirt 36. Since both flanges are identical reference is principally made to flange 72. In cross-section (Figure 3) it is made of a radial and inwardly directed plate which functions as a ramp and a oath. A downwardly and outwardly flared panel 76 of flange 72 enables the easy application of the cap to the end of tube 20 by functioningfas a guide. The gasket and diaphragm fit quite loosely in their shell, but are contained by locking flanges 70 and 72.

The cam has a part 80 which is inclined from the entrance end 81 thereof and with respect to the plane of wall 34 of shell 32 Cam 74 has part 83 which is preferably approximately parallel to the plane containing wall 34 with the parts 8 0 and 83 being separated by stop 84 formed as a projection or step between parts St) and 83 of earn 74. Stop 86 is at the opposite end of cam 74 and abuts the end of projection 24 to establish the limit of rotation of cap 39 when it is being applied to the tube 20. In placing cap 30 on tube 24 the cap is oriented such that projections 24 and 26 will fit between locking flanges 7t and 72. Handle 88 is rotated clockwise so that projection 24 passes into entrance 81 of cam 74 and projection 26 simultaneously enters the locking flange 70. If there is no handle 88 used the shell Will be grasped and it is understood that handle 88 may be omitted or varied in configuration even to the extent of forming the handle as a lateral projection of the shell. Upon further rotation of cap 30 the projections 24 and 26 will ride upwardly on the inclined ramps of the looking flanges until the steps 84 are passed and the parts 83 of the cams are reached. Continued rotation of the cap wi l cause the stops '86 to abut the projections 24 and 26 and this establishes the end of the travel for the cap.

Attention is now invited to Figure 9 and to Figure where a cap shell 90 is illustrated. The shell is useful with vented or unvented diaphragm and gasket assemblies and is the same as the shell 32 in all respects except in the construction of stops 92 and 94 at the ends of the cams or ramps of locking flanges 96 and 98. The inner extremities of the cams have small ribs depressed therein which abut the vertical edges of projections 24 and 26 to establish the rotary clockwise limit of motion of the cap on the tube 20. A second variant is the omission of dome 48 in the top wall 100 of shell 90. Where the centering and strengthening function of dome 48 is deemed unnecessary, the same may be omitted by forming the top wall 100 of the shell 90 without a dome corresponding to dome 48. The operation of this embodiment is otherwise the same as the operation of cap 30. It

is clearly pointed out that the various embodiments are described in a sequence which as no bearing on the comparative importance thereof. Moreover, numerous modifications and alterations may be made without departing from the invention as claimed. For example there need not be two locking flanges and corresponding projections in the assemblies. It is conceivable that one such locl-: ing flange could be used and a substitute holder on the opposite side of the cap, or three or more locking flanges and projections may be used. The materials of construction may be varied, however, it is intended that they be commercially available common materials, as metal for the diaphragm and shell, and a fibrous material for the gasket.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

In a cap for a filler tube which has projections near the open end thereof, the combination of a shell which has a top wall and a depending skirt, inwardly extending locking flanges carried by said skirt and at the lower edges thereof, a gasket in said shell and adapted to be brought against the outer edge of the tube, each locking flange comprising a cam which has a flat surface having a portion thereof inclined relative to said top wall and functioning as a namp and onto which one of the projections is adapted to be brought in response to rotation of the shell with respect to the filler tube, a step in said surface and adapted to move under one of said projections when said shells is rotated as aforesaid, a continuing part of said surface extending from said step at an angle to said ramp and parallel to said top wall and on which said one projection is adapted to seat when said shell is attached to the tube, a stop on one of said surfaces and extending toward said shell top wall to limit the rotation of said shell with respect to said filler tube by abutting one of said projections, and downwardly and outwardly extending guides fixed to said locking flanges to contact the edges of the open end of said filler tube and guide said shell when being applied onto the filler tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,140,103, Beecher May 18, 1915 1,477,261 Hart Dec. 11, 1923 1,481,960 Hammer Jan. 29, 1924 1,960,354 Snell May 29, 1934 2,145,739 Shaw Jan. 31, 1939 2,313,881 Lewis Mar. 16, 1943 2,330,243 Glab Nov. 2, 1943 2,337,622 Robinson Dec. 28, 1943 2,488,526 Crawford Nov. 22, 1949 2,722,338 Eshbaugh Nov. 1, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 196,914 Great Britain May 22, 1924 

